Roman Catholic Diocese of Wollongong
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Diocese of Wollongong Dioecesis Vollongongensis |
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|---|---|
| Location | |
| Country | Australia |
| Territory | Illawarra and Southern Highlands regions of New South Wales |
| Metropolitan | Archdiocese of Sydney |
| Coordinates | 34°25′22″S 150°53′32″E / 34.42278°S 150.89222°E |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 6,121 km2 (2,363 sq mi) |
| Population - Total - Catholics |
(as of 2004) 647,912 195,669 ( 30.2%) |
| Parishes |
 28 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Rite | Latin Rite |
| Established | 15 November 1951 |
| Cathedral | St Francis Xavier's Cathedral, Wollongong |
| Patron saint | Immaculate Heart of Mary |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Bishop | Peter Ingham |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | Anthony Fisher OP |
| Emeritus Bishops | William Edward Murray |
| Website | |
| Catholic Diocese of Wollongong | |
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Wollongong is a suffragan Latin Rite diocese of the Archdiocese of Sydney, established in 1951, covering the Illawarra and Southern Highlands regions of New South Wales, Australia.
St Francis Xavier's Cathedral, Wollongong is the seat of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Wollongong, currently the Most Reverend Peter Ingham.
On 15 November 1951, Pope Pius XII announced that a new diocese would be created from the two archdioceses of Sydney and Canberra & Goulburn. To be named Wollongong, the diocese was officially established on 11 February 1952. Bishop Thomas McCabe was transferred from Port Pirie to become its first bishop and the historic Church of St Francis Xavier in Wollongong became the cathedral. At the time of establishment, there was a Catholic population of approximately 22,000 in 18 parishes.
While the Wollongong diocese is relatively recent, the churches of Campbelltown (1835), Appin (1837), Wollongong (1838), Picton (1847), Kiama (1852), Camden (1859), Shellharbour (1861), Nowra (1863), The Oaks (1865), Albion Park (1867), Bulli (1886), Berrima (1889) and Milton-Ulladulla (1890) trace their Catholic legacy back to the early times of European settlement and to the era of Archbishop John Bede Polding, Australia's first bishop.
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